[press release from Limelight PR]
Australian filmmaker Scott Millwood’s new film Whatever Happened to Brenda Hean? created shockwaves when it launched in Hobart last week and grossed $8086.50 on its one screen from Friday to Wednesday.
The film launched at Melbourne’s Nova cinema last night and is due to roll-out next week at the Royal Theatre in Castlemaine, the Dendy Canberra, Village Launceston and the Forum in St Helens, before hitting Sydney and Brisbane later this month.
The documentary investigates the disappearance of leading Tasmanian conservationist, Brenda Hean and pilot Max Price, in 1972. Painting a portrait of the constant battle between industry and environment, award-winning film director Scott Millwood (Wildness) reveals new information about the 35 year murder mystery. Through first-hand accounts of witnesses, the film not only pieces together what happened in the lead up and aftermath of Brenda Hean’s and Max Price’s disappearance, but reveals the authorities consistent lack of interest in the truth.
“Totally engrossing ****”
Margaret Pomeranz, At The Movies
“A fascinating true-life thriller with touches of Tasmanian gothic"
Julie Rigg, Radio National
Brenda Hean was one of the leading environmental campaigners of the early 1970s and a founder of the first environmental political party in the world. Hean was campaigning against the destruction of Lake Pedder by a massive hydro-electric scheme. Just months before the Federal election, she and her pilot took off from Tasmania in a two-seater Tiger Moth bound for Canberra where Hean intended to meet with key Federal Government figures. They planned to sky-write “Save Lake Pedder” over Parliament House. The plane never reached its destination and the battle to save Lake Pedder was lost.
Despite calls for transparency, the Government never conducted a public enquiry into the disappearance. In 2007 Scott Millwood took it upon himself to investigate. After offering a $100,000 reward for information to solve the mystery and establishing a hotline, Millwood was inundated with phone calls from across the country – he had to decipher fact from conspiracy theory, in order to find whatever happened to Brenda Hean.
For cinema details visit www.brendahean.com